Shorts Collection
by Rising Dragon
Summary: Compilation of short stories from The Fanfiction Forum. Varying situations at varying time periods, featuring multiple characters and pairings, from het to yuri to teasing. Next up: Interrogation.
1. Confessions

This'll be the first in a collection of short stories that I write in-between writing my major stories. Please be civil, as these may feature random pairings at times and the pairings can be wildly varying, and because I don't want to spoil the contents (shorts involving pairings revolve around said pairings) you won't know who's paired up with who until you read it. It's all for fun, though, so just sit back and enjoy.

* * *

"So what did she do?"

"I swear, she turned red as a beet! She didn't know what to do, so she fidgeted a bit before she bolted! I had to apologize to him in her absence."

"Poor Fate-chan."

The aforementioned blonde only flushed and lowered her head further in shame, trying to avoid the expressions of her four friends as they walked among the throng of students departing from school. She knew they weren't teasing her or condemning her, but damn if she didn't feel utterly embarrassed by her reaction. How was she supposed to react to something like that!?

"Ahhh, that would've been so funny to see," Arisa remarked, linking her hands together behind her head. The fourteen-year-old was grinning at the thought, making Suzuka, Nanoha, and Hayate chuckle. She felt bad for the boy who confessed to Nanoha's best friend, though-but hey, that was Fate's fault, and she had to go back and give him an answer, didn't she?

"Ne, ne, Arisa-chan," Nanoha spoke, trotting forward to catch up with the American girl. "Have YOU been confessed to?"

Well, that was one way to derail her train of thought. Now the girls were looking at her, even Fate. Arisa sputtered.

"W-w-w-what kind of question is that!?" she demanded.

Nanoha never lost her smile. "I know why Fate-chan gets all her love letters; because she's a foreigner, but so are you! So I wondered if you had a special someone that you haven't told us about."

"We've caught you staring off into space like she was thinking about someone," Hayate teased, grinning like a cat.

Suzuka blinked as a huge blush spread across Arisa's cheeks, causing Nanoha to giggle as they hit the target. "Really, Arisa-chan?" she asked, surprised-the girl's nature made it difficult to express her real feelings at times. Arisa's movements stopped entirely at the question.

"Arisa-chan?" Nanoha asked, looking a tiny bit concerned. Had they pushed her too far by accident?

Arisa turned around, looking so hard at Nanoha the girl took an unconscious step back. It was like something had clicked, and Nanoha knew that her short-tempered friend had made a decision.

Of course, it wasn't at all what Nanoha was expecting when the blonde flung herself at her, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

Each of the girls' eyes went wide at the sight. Even some of the others around them stopped to watch what was going on. Suzuka's hands were clasped tight in front of her chest, Hayate hid a knowing grin behind a hand. Fate's book-bag hit the ground.

"A-Arisa-chan?" Nanoha asked again, understanding beginning to dawn on her.

Arisa only squeezed the girl tighter, her blushing countenance hidden from the other girls. She looked off to the side. "A girl can't have a friend like you and not fall for her."

The realization hit her like someone had turned her own Divine Buster on her. She'd never heard that kind of cute voice from Arisa! Her mind whirled at the sudden realization. Everyone was staring as Arisa buried her face against Nanoha's neck, and there was only thing the poor girl could do.

Her brain shut down entirely, and she fainted.

Arisa blinked, staring dumbly as Nanoha collapsed backwards, her face frozen in a stupefied expression. "Well, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting."


	2. Boyfriend

So unless I specifically state otherwise, these shorts are unconnected to one another.

* * *

It was the sound of a motorized engine quickly growing louder that first caught Fate's attention. The blond-haired woman looked up from the dishes she was rinsing off, cocking her head to the side to listen. Loud as it was getting, she could tell from the noise of the engine that whatever was making it was slowing down. And if she was right… it was slowing down at the house? _That's odd. Nanoha didn't say someone was coming over today,_ she thought idly as she turned the sink off and wiped her hands dry on the towel. _Maybe it slipped her mind?_

Fate had only just returned to Cranagan from a relatively short off-world investigation last night, after all. Still, Nanoha usually lets her know about these things. The engine sound died out as it cut off, in front of the house, and Fate was already headed for the door. There was a knock as she reached it, and she opened the door.

The person standing before her, just outside the threshold, was certainly not anyone that Fate had expected. A teenage boy, maybe fourteen or fifteen, stood before her, and with an old motorcycle was parked on the sidewalk a little ways behind him. He was a bit tall, and had a fierce-looking expression on his face, which held narrow, gray eyes and a cocky grin framed by locks of silvery hair held back by green and black bandanna. Large headphones hung on his neck, and a green jacket with black flame designs hung over a black, Jolly Rodger-emblazoned shirt and orange khakis, also with their own flame design around the shins.

The delinquent before her raised a hand—she noted a number of rings on it, as well as a band of linked gold on his wrist—and gave her a saucy little salute, his feral-looking grin still plastered on his face. "Yo! Is Vivio around?" he asked. His pronunciation of her name sounded off, like he didn't say it all that often.

Fate blinked. He knew Vivio? If he were one of her friends, Fate would know about him—either from her or Nanoha; Vivio never failed to talk to her mother about meeting a new friend. Fate was positive she'd never seen this boy in her life. "She is," she said after a moment, looking wary. "May I ask who's asking after my daughter?"

"Name's Kurt Grendel," he introduced himself as he lowered his hand, placing them both on his hips. If he felt anything about Fate identifying herself as Vivio's mother, he didn't show it—that grin never left his face. "I'm—"

Any further words from the boy were cut off as they both heard the telltale pounding of footsteps as Vivio rapidly descended the staircase from her room. There was certainly no way she or Nanoha had missed the sound of the engine, but since Nanoha was taking a midday bath after working all morning… well, obviously Vivio had been expecting this boy. The girl was wearing a two-layered outfit, a teal sundress laid out over a short-sleeved white dress. A thin choker was tied to her neck, and laced up sandals adorned her feet. Instead of her usual twintails, Vivio had two braids on either side of her long hair. A purse hung off her arm, and Fate could see one of Sacred Heart's plush ears sticking out from underneath its flap.

"Ah, Kurt!" she said cheerfully, brightening up as she saw the delinquent boy.

"Hey, Vi!" the boy said, raising a hand in greeting as the girl brushed past Fate and hugged him tightly, causing the off-duty Enforcer to blink.

"Vivio, who is this boy?" she asked.

"Kurt's my boyfriend, Fate-mama!" the cloned girl said, releasing him and standing at his side, his arm still around her shoulders.

"… boyfriend."

Well.

This was new.

When was Nanoha planning on dropping this little bomb on her?

"When did this happen? Does Nanoha know?" Fate asked, turning her head aside as she looked at Vivio.

"Yeah, Nanoha-mama knows," Vivio told her, sounding a tad bit hesitant. "We started dating while you were on your case."

"C'mon, Vi, we're gonna be late," Kurt said, nudging the girl.

Fate certainly wasn't letting them go anywhere without knowing. "Where are you two off to?" she asked, trying to sound polite. She knew it was easier to get something out of Vivio by being nice about it—wouldn't do to get her to balk.

"Just gonna hang out," the Kurt boy said, followed almost immediately after with Vivio saying, "We're meeting up with Corona and Rio and a few others."

Fate's frown was almost imperceptible, but Vivio caught sight of it, and looked a bit more hesitant. Fate weighed her options, though—she knew very well that Vivio could take care of herself, and if Corona and Rio were with her. This boy, however, looked like trouble… but she was also aware that looks could be deceiving. She'll have to talk to Nanoha about it, and reluctantly nodded to Vivo.

"… alright then. Stay safe, and be back by nine," she said, resting back on her heels.

Vivio brightened up and nodded back. "Mmn! Thanks, Fate-mama!"

Fate kept her eye on her daughter as she and Kurt climbed onto the motorcycle—neither used a helmet, but she sensed magic in use, like Vivio often did with her spars with Shante at the Church. The bike pulled out onto the street and Vivio let out a whoop as they sped off. The Enforcer sighed—her mother was right, girls really do grow up fast.

Fate closed the door. "Bardiche, please keep in contact with Kris," she requested of her Device in her pocket.

**"Yes Sir."**

"Fate-chan?"

Nanoha's voice drifted from the bathroom, and Fate saw her stepping out of it, a towel wrapped tightly around her body. Her hair and shoulders were still damp, and droplets of water dripped onto the floor—she'd gotten out of the bath in a hurry. "Who was it?" she was asking. "I heard someone pull up…"

"A young man came to pick Vivio up for a date. Why didn't you tell me she had a boyfriend, Nanoha?"

Fate expected a number of reactions from her best friend. Embarrassment and the characteristic giggle she makes when she's nervous, perhaps. Not the startlingly coarse swearing that suddenly erupted from the redheaded woman, nor the angry stomp of a damp foot that threatened to break the floorboards underneath the carpet.

"I can't believe her!" Nanoha raged, storming off to the living room with her towel threatening to slip off her. "I told her I didn't like that boy, told her I didn't want him near my house!"

"Nanoha?"

"Why in the world won't Vivio listen to me about him?" Nanoha was pacing back and forth in front of the living room table. "That girl is so grounded! She knows better than to not tell me she's going—!"

"Nanoha!"

Fate's shout finally brought Nanoha to a halt and made her look at the other woman. Oh, she was furious, Fate noted. Her eyes were _smoldering_ with anger. "What?!" she demanded.

"What's going on?!" Fate cried, utterly flabbergasted by Nanoha's behavior and completely upset.

Growling, Nanoha threw herself onto one of the couches, looking for all the world like she wanted to bite something. Fate was settling herself onto the other one when Nanoha finally spoke. "She met that boy just before you left for your last assignment. She's infatuated with him and ever since they started dating she just won't listen to me."

"Well, she _is_ getting to that age," Fate offered. "Arisa was just as bad back when she met her boyfriend."

"That's not the point!" Nanoha snapped, eyes blazing as she sat up straighter on the couch. "That boy is trouble and he's going to get her into trouble! I'm not gonna let that happen!"

Fate almost cringed. This certainly wasn't what she was expecting when she came home. Her god-daughter had a lover, and it was making her best friend act very much like the demon Vita often called her. "He can't be that bad, can he?" she asked, trying to appeal to Nanoha's common sense. She had experience in this sort of thing. "I mean, you certainly gave me a chance, didn't you? Not to mention Vita."

"I'd love to give him a chance! I'm sure he's a wonderful guy deep down!"

This time Fate did cringe at the sarcasm dripping from Nanoha's words.

"Every vehicle that boy's touched seems to blow up by the end of the week!" Nanoha growled. She stood up so suddenly from the couch that she had to snatch up her towel as it tried to slip off her damp body. She angrily tied it back together as she began pacing. "He's avoided actual trouble with the law by the skin of his teeth, him and his friends, but if he keeps this up he'll land in jail and I'll be damned if I let Vivio be by his side when he does so!"

"Nanoha! Please, calm down!" Fate pleaded. Nanoha stopped her pacing to regard her friend. "I can… I can ask Teana to put a watch on him! We can talk this out with Vivio when she gets home, I'm sure she'll be back tonight and we can talk to her then. _Together_."

Nanoha paused, regarding the idea in her head before finally nodding. "Fine. That'll work."

She glanced about, the silence between them growing awkward. "… sorry for yelling," she finally said, looking sheepish. She hooked a hand in her towel.

Fate smiled. "It's okay. Really, it's okay. Though I dread imagining what you would do if Vivio lost her virginity."

Instantly Fate knew she said the wrong thing. Nanoha froze on the spot, the flush in her cheeks from her anger draining away until she was as pale as a sheet. "I never even considered that," she whispered. "Oh, by God she better not have!"

Fate sighed. As Nanoha once more exploded in motherly rage, she only had one thought in her mind:

_It's gonna be a long night…_


	3. Interrogation

This story is a follow-up from the last one, but it takes place during Force, as opposed to _Boyfriend_ occurring a little before it. Hope you enjoy.

Also, I'm unhappy to report this is the last Short I have completed. I have at least three more ideas at current, and I'm also still working on my other stories. Any of my work can be seen ahead of time at thefanfictionforum dot net. Feel free to join.

* * *

The overhead lights of the spacious-looking yet sterile-feeling interrogation room of the rehabilitation facility hummed with life with nary a flicker. A pair of guards flanked the only door in, and two figures sat on opposite ends of the stainless steel table, one of them clad in white scrubs and his feet propped up on the table, a candy bar in hand. The sight was quite familiar to him, but unlike last time, the Zero boy wasn't around, nor was there a bomb in his neck waiting to go off.

It was hardly a secret that the Time-Space Administration Bureau treated any prisoners and detained suspects well. They weren't mistreated, they were fed regularly, they were given medical attention when in need, and if they proved cooperative, their rehabilitation centers were rather pleasant to stay at. Still, this wasn't a pleasure that Kurt Grendel had ever expected to have been granted when he was under the watchful eyes of Special Duty Section Six. Nor was he even aware that he had been granted the privilege of having visitors.

Though given the furious expression plastered on the face of his current visitor, the Eclipse infectee wasn't sure he _wanted_ any more visitors.

Despite being dressed in the Saint Hilde's Magic School's distinctive green and white Second Year uniform, her long golden hair done up on the sides with dark blue ribbons, her mismatched red and green eyes full of anger and lips soured by a pout, Vivio Takamachi folded her arms beneath her breasts and looked every bit her heritage and station as the Sankt Kaiser of the Belkan Empire.

Kurt knew that the girls agreed that having the Ace of Aces herself as their watchdog was bad enough. Privately, though, he thought that her daughter—_his ex-girlfriend_, mind you—was worse. Especially since the irate empress was the Ace of Aces' daughter, and her mother had little reason to like him already, as had been made painfully clear. Vivio Takamachi and Kurt Grendel hadn't parted on the best of terms.

"Nanoha-mama was right. I should've known I'd find you in jail one of these days," the girl said venomously. Oh yeah. She was pissed. "It's a wonder that you managed this long before they threw you in the slammer."

Kurt smiled at her barb, showing off a shark-like grin. He gestured with his snack as he replied. "I'd've thought you'd be impressed! Look at what it took for them to bring me in in the first place! Legendary heroes, all for little ol' me."

Vivio's eyes narrowed dangerously at his sarcastic slight against her mother, and Kurt wondered if he'd crossed a line—she might not look it, and he still had the Eclipse, treated or not, but he knew from experience that Vivio was a force to be reckoned with. "I see you're still a jerk," she growled.

Despite his misgivings, the gang leader snorted. "Hey now, I've always been like this. I certainly didn't hear you complaining of my _charming_ personality back when we were dating," he told her, jabbing the partially-eaten candy bar at her before taking another bite.

She bristled in response. "Like hell you were!" she yelled. Her hands slammed down on the table, causing the guards by the doors to give a start and make a move towards her; the glare she sent their way rooted them to the spot. Her glare whipped right back to Kurt and she snarled, stalking over to his corner of the table. "You used to be nice! You might've looked mean but you certainly weren't an asshole like so many other guys! Then you got mean and you got into those fights, you and… and those _girls_—" Kurt knew then that his ex was still sore about Mariya—"and now you're here in prison! Why the hell do you think I dumped your sorry ass!?"

Kurt grimaced and swallowed the chocolate in his mouth, then shook his head. "Why are you here, Vi?" he asked, using their old pet name for her.

Vivio's shoulders slumped and she looked away, easily wrecking her so-called "Kaiser" stance. "Why do you think?" she asked, not meeting his eyes. Her voice was softer, the anger dying down. "We might not be together now but I heard what happened. It doesn't mean I can't worry about you." She'd heard about his being infected with a dangerous virus, him and his three female friends. Nanoha and Thoma had explained the details to her. "I just thought… I thought that maybe I could try and get you to help mama and the others with this case."

He frowned. "I'm not that nice of a guy, Vi," he told her, but she shook her head and met his gaze again.

"I know better than that, Kurt," she said. "Remember that night we spent? Together?"

Hell, she just _had_ to bring that up. He twirled what was left of his snack in his hand while the memories of the two of them lying in bed came back at her mention.

"The Grendel Family's Dream Road you told me about sounded wonderful," Vivio said. She shook her head briefly and looked at him, her mismatched eyes full of pity and concern. "But you'll never be able to achieve it like this. It's just going to get you killed. I… I don't want that, Kurt."

Dammit, but that face of hers could be endearing. The family head distracted himself, looking off to the side with one eye as he peeled back the wrapper in his hands further. He didn't take a bite. "I don't know what you're trying to convince me of, babe," he told her. "I already did my part and look what it got me."

He gestured to the patch on the side of his neck. Vivio frowned, and raised a hand up to it, but didn't touch it. "Does it hurt…?"

Kurt's grin widened. "'bout as much as what your lunatic mom did to me when she found out 'bout what I did to you."

Vivio's blush was a mixture of embarrassment and anger, and she snatched her hand away and gave him a glare that he met easily. Before she could reply, one of the guards interrupted.

"Visiting hours are up, ma'am," he said. "We have to take the patient back."

She gave them a glance, not liking the interruption, but she sighed and nodded, just as Kurt thought she would. Vivio was a good girl like that, whatever her mother raged when they were dating.

"Good talk, Vi. Better luck next time, though."

He was completely disarmed by her next action, though. Vivio smiled, and pressed her lips against his cheek for a second before walking towards the door. "You're a better guy than you let on, Kurt. You're not quite the dumbass that… that _woman_, "—she really was ticked about Mariya, wasn't she? Has to be the hair—"says you are."

She stopped at the opened door and looked back. "See ya around, Kurt."

He didn't return the farewell, and only frowned when the door closed. "Whatever."

* * *

_I'm in a private room, alright?_ Mariya's voice called.

_We're out of sight and okay too~._ was Lolo's call.

"Okay, okay!" Kurt cheerfully replied, sitting astride a toilet in the maritime protection facility, his foot making little circles. "Well, this'll be my first time displaying my ability to Mariya and Quinn."

It was time to blow this joint. He gave the Bureau his cooperation and told them who gave them their gear. He'd done his good deed for the day. Vivio'd be pissed, though. Kurt still wasn't sure what she was trying to get at.

_"You're a better guy than you let on, Kurt."_

He shook his head. Ah, well. Maybe he could make it up to her later or something. Assuming her mom didn't blow him up on sight. He spread his hands out and closed his eyes, and accessed his power.

"Here we go. _The World is in My Hands._"

He held his arms out expectantly and was rewarded as four naked girls materialized before him with a collective yelp, and Mariya fell right into his lap, Lolo at his shoulder, and Quinn at his feet. As the violet-haired woman cradled in his arms sputtered in indignation, he could only laugh. "Hah hah hah! This is my hyper power!" he declared.

Lolo blushed and brought her hands to her cheeks behind him. "This is the evolution of the head's ability to "send for things," she described to her fellow girls. "I was a little worried if we'd—"

"Oi. Who's the brat?" Quinn interrupted from Kurt's knee. Suddenly, the boy froze.

He heard four girls yelp when he used his power, but he only meant to bring Mariya, Quinn, and Lolo. So who…?

Oh.

Oh hell.

He had his suspicions, of course, and he even knew what was wrong. His ability, Import, has conditions attached to it.

The targets had to be on the same dimensional plane as him, and it'd only been an hour or two since his visit.

The targets must be at rest, wherever they are. Say, a car parked at a traffic light, waiting for the light to turn green.

And the targets must unquestionably be his possessions. Stolen goods were considered his when they were brought back to their base, and of course, there was one little lady who'd made a surprise visit one night…

He glanced down and saw his suspicions confirmed. Kneeling on the chilly linoleum floor, missing all of her clothes as she hugged her arms around herself… was Vivio Takamachi. Mismatched eyes shot up to where he sat on the porcelain throne, Mariya still sitting on his lap naked. And they filled with rage.

Uh oh. He knew that look. The Sankt Kaiser was coming out to smite the unworthy. Unceremoniously, Kurt dumped Mariya to the floor and shot forward, darting past Vivio. If he was fast enough, he could—

His run came to an abrupt halt as a hand grabbed him by the head, fingers that were far too strong pulling at his silvery locks of hair and nearly lifting him off the floor.

"Whoa. Was she always that tall?" he heard Quinn mutter to the other girls.

"Oh, my. Her ponytail's just like yours, Mariya! Longer, though."

"What the hell? Is she stalking me or something? Stupid brat."

Kurt swallowed nervously and risked a look back. Oh yeah. He was certainly in trouble now, as he took in the magnificent nude form of Vivio's adult mode. Her eyes were hidden from him, underneath those golden bangs of hers.

"I… I uh… I can see everything, y'know?" he called back. "Aren't you worried 'bout that, Vi?"

"It's fine," she said. Her hand squeezed down painfully, and it was a wonder that he didn't hear his skull crack. "Being seen now doesn't make any difference."

Her free hand lifted up, and clenched into a fist.

"That's because… there's only one thing on my mind. And that's to kill you, Kurt."

Iridescent light erupted throughout the room and around her fist. In the ensuing explosion, the voices of three women could be heard.

"Dumbass."

"Dumbass."

"Such a dumbass."


End file.
